‘Cars 3’ Teaser: Back To The Starting Line For Lightning McQueen & The Gang

“From this moment, everything will change.” Those (semi) ominous words appear after we see Lightning McQueen barrel rolling across the race track, parts and debris flying all around, in the new teaser for Cars 3. Whatever is changing, it’s clear that Disney and Pixar are moving away from the James Bond homage/spoof that was 2011’s Cars 2. And that’s probably a good thing.

That sequel had its moments, but it got away from the story of Radiator Springs and its wheeled denizens. Although Ol’ 95 is the only character we see in this 45-second teaser, it’s not a stretch to imagine that the new film will return to the lives of the lovable classic cars from the Oscar-nominated 2006 original that won $462 million in prize money worldwide. Owen Wilson’s McQueen is the only voice we hear, and he doesn’t even utter any words.

Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary McQueen is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win. Will the Piston Cup-winning racer’s crash end his career — just like what happened to his mentor Doc Hudson after he wiped out on the track?

First-timer Brian Fee, a storyboard artists on the first two Cars toons and such other Disney/Pixar fare as WALL-E and Ratatouille, directs the threequel, and Pixar honcho/Cars and Cars 2 helmer John Lasseter is among the producers . Disney opens Cars 3 on June 16. Check out the teaser above. But buckle up first.